07th December 2009 Had a SAD day?

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Serious sufferers of Seasonal Affected Disorder or SAD may well need to invest in both a waking light and a SAD light treatment device such as a medically approved light box.  You can find a list off approved products atwww.sad.org.uk.  The entire website with its advice can be downloaded as a PDF and printed out for staff notice boards.

A good place to start is with an effective diagnosis; as with all suspected medical conditions, a consultation with your GP is essential for this.  In case you aren’t sure whether you should see your GP, there’s a helpful list of symptoms you can consider at the NHS Choices websitewww.nhs.uk/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx.

Meanwhile some of us don’t exactly suffer from SAD but do feel a bit blue through the winter.  There are a few things that may help with this.

• encourage employees to leave the building at lunchtime – even half an hour of good daylight every day helps to stimulate the light sensitive pituitary gland and can go a long way to reduce symptoms for SAD sufferers and lift the mood of anybody
• if you can, seat sufferers close to a window and maximise the daylight they do receive
• encourage staff to drink plenty of water, eat healthily and take regular exercise